Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra, KV Viswanathan sworn in as Supreme Court judges; top court at full strength of 34

Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Senior Advocate KV Viswanathan took oath as judges of the Supreme Court on Friday.The oath of office was administered by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud. With the appointment of two new judges, the Supreme Court's strength rose to 34 which is its sanctioned strength. .The Supreme Court Collegium had recommended their appointment by way of a resolution on May 16.The Central government acted swiftly and notified their appointments on Thursday, May 18. .Viswanathan was born on May 16, 1966 and on his appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court, he will serve in that capacity until May 25, 2031.On the retirement of Justice JB Pardiwala on August 11, 2030, he will be in line to assume Chief Justice of India's office till his retirement on May 25, 2031.On his appointment being cleared by the Central government, Senior Counsel Viswanathan will be the tenth name in the list of lawyers to be appointed to the Supreme Court directly from the Bar.He will also be the fourth such person to become the Chief Justice of India (CJI), following Justices SM Sikri, UU Lalit, and PS Narasimha.Viswanathan, a former Additional Solicitor General, has been in the profession for more than 30 years and has appeared in a number of high profile matters..He worked as a junior in the chambers of Senior Advocate KK Venugopal who later became the Attorney General for IndiaIn April 2009, Viswanathan was designated as Senior Advocate by the Supreme court.Justice Mishra was the Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court when he was recommended for elevation to the top court. Justice Mishra was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on October 13, 2021.He is former Acting Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court and has also served as a judge of the Chhattisgarh High Court..Read our interview with KV Viswanathan here..[Watch the entire swearing-in ceremony here]